A Raven Under a Darkened Sky
by claw06
Summary: Itachi is reincarnated as Ciel Phantomhive following his death at the hands of Sasuke. For years, his memories and powers have lain dormant. As they reawaken, he must balance the merging of their personalities, the reemergence of his Mangekyou, and hiding it all from his ever observant butler. YAOI!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Itachi is reincarnated as Ciel Phantomhive following his death at the hands of Sasuke. For years, his memories and powers have lain dormant. As they reawaken, he must balance the merging of their personalities, the reemergence of his Mangekyou, and hiding it all from his ever observant butler.**

 **Pairing: KisaIta(Ciel)**

 **WARNING: X-OVER, OOC! ness, Canon-typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Language, Hinted PTSD, Fatherly!Sebastian**

 **Chapter One**

He couldn't help but smile.

Even with the hatred blazing in the crimson gaze in front of him and the pain wracking his slim frame, the only thought in his mind was that he'd finally succeeded. Sasuke had become strong, even under the insanity and instability of his mind, he was strong., on par with a sannin if he was measuring things right. Even though the teen hated him, even as the chidori blazed in his right hand, Itachi could only feel pride.

He staggered forward, fighting a gasp as the lightning covered hand plunged into his chest. Blood flooded his lungs and trailed down his chin, darkness creeping into his vision. Despite it all, he lifted his arm, ignoring his little brother's flinch, and poked him in the head before falling forward and allowing the darkness to overtake him.

" _Thank you…otouto."_

" _There is no value in killing the likes of you... if you wish to kill me, then Hate me. Detest me, curse me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, Run and cling to your pitiful life_ _."_

" _ **Hate me."**_

Hate? Who was he supposed to hate? His captors? His demon? His parent's murderer?

His once innocent eyes narrowed into a cold, angry glare.

His captors? Yes.

His captors deserved his hatred. They had humiliated him, tried to break him, then had the nerve to _sacrifice_ him. They would pay for their slights against him!

 _Why was it that being a sacrifice didn't bother him as much as it should?_

" _ **Detest me."**_

His Demon? No.

No matter what happened he would never be able to hate him.

Sebastian was his savior. His salvation. He would be his weapon to wield in the search for his revenge and once it was over…he would be the key to his demise. His salvation.

 _Why was it his heart panged so longingly at the thought of death?_

" _ **Curse me."**_

His parents' murderer? Absolutely.

They more than any other should be the object of his hate, for it was due to their actions that he'd ended up in the hands of that vile cult to begin with. Everything could be traced back to that horrific night. To the smell of burning wood and charring flesh. Of smoke and burning lungs.

 _He rebelled heavily against the part of him that screamed that this was familiar, only he was playing the wrong role._

" _ **Hate me."**_

He hated them.

He's walking home from an important meeting when he sees them.

Two young boys, one his own age, the other several years younger. The elder boy was teasing the younger, who is pouting.

"Will you play still?"

The elder sighs tiredly, his shoulders slumping under invisible burdens.

"Maybe tomorrow, Jerry."

He turns away and hurries his step, unable to understand why his heart feels so heavy and broken in his chest. He'd never had a sibling before.

 _His heart tells him he's lying to himself and that night when he sleeps, angry crimson eyes plague his dreams._

 **^(^(^**

She is a guest at the Viscount's ball. Long black hair falls in lush ringlets down her back, her slightly narrowed eyes giving away her eastern heritage. Her gown is a beautiful midnight blue that clings to her torso beautifully before flowing down into a bundle of loose skirts. When she greets him (or rather her at the time), her voice is warm like hot chocolate and just as sweet and yet…he hates her.

He has no reason for it other than the way his heart suddenly feels like it's being crushed in his chest and his lungs feel like they've collapsed.

He avoids her for the rest of the evening.

 _His only clues to this reaction are the image of a different dark-haired woman, similar to her in appearance covered in blood that overlaps her smiling visage and the echo of a soft whisper._

" _I'm sorry it had to be you. I forgive you."_

 _He ignores the voice because after all, what does he know about forgiveness._

Madame Red is Jack the Ripper.

He doesn't understand how he comes to this conclusion, but it hits him while they're playing chess together in his sitting room. He watches her silently, his eyes sharpening so subtly that none of the room's other occupants notice, not even the demon holding his contract.

Something in her posture screams wrong, so wrong, to him but he says nothing listening as she tries to convince him to give his job as the Queen's Hound. He responds with what is expected of him but inside, he hardens his heart knowing that his beloved aunt would not survive the week. His orders were to rid the Queen of Jack the Ripper, and no one comes before the Queen's wishes, not even family.

When she gets ready to leave, he plays as if he were unaware of her deeds and he kisses her goodnight while the demon helps her into her coat.

The 'I love you' he sends her off with seems heavier than it should be.

 _Why does it feel like he's done this before? He's never murdered a family member, nor had he ever been ordered to rid the world of one._

It's during the confrontation with Grell and Madame Red that it all makes sense.

As his favorite aunt stumbles out of the victim's house covered in blood, something inside him breaks and memories rush into his mind. A cool feeling rushes through his tiny body and he freezes, eyes burning.

 _He was Uchiha Itachi._ He was Ciel Phantomhive. _His parents were Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto._ His parents were Rachel and Vincent Phantomhive. _He was twenty-one years old._ He was thirteen. _He had a little brother named Sasuke._ He was an only child. _He was a puppet._ He was the puppeteer. _He was a shinobi._ He was the Queen's GuardDog.

He remembered.

He remembered his baby brother's birth. Remembered joining the academy and graduating at seven years old. Mastering his Sharingan at eight. Becoming a Chuunin at ten and entering the Anbu at eleven, becoming the youngest Anbu captain in history at thirteen.

He remembered the Third Shinobi War and the Kyuubi attack. Remembered protecting the Kyuubi Jinchuriki from the villagers and shinobi alike, befriending the child as he did so. He remembered his best friend's suicide and obtaining the Mangekyou. Remembered his father trying to convince him to spy on the village, not realizing that he was spying _for_ it.

He remembered murdering his family at thirteen years old on order of the council because of proof of a coup d'état. He remembered forcing his otouto to relive their parents' deaths over and over again with the powers of the Mangekyou just to plant the seeds of hatred that would spurn Sasuke into a downward spiral but enable him to grow stronger.

He remembered the tears that streamed down his cheeks as he faced his mother whispering her forgiveness as he slit her throat. Fleeing his home, a criminal and joining the Akatsuki. Becoming Kisame's partner.

Watching Sasuke grow. His sorrow at hearing that his brother was in Orochimaru's clutches. Pride, when he heard the teen had killed the bastard sannin. His death at the hands of the one he gave up everything for.

So many memories flashed in his mind at the speed of light and he was dimly aware of Madame Red speaking.

"Well, I hadn't counted on this. I didn't think anyone would be able to figure out what Grell truly is."

He stared at her, and he feels a broken chuckle building in his chest as those words once again echo in his head and for once he _understands._

 _There is no value in killing the likes of you... Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, then Hate me. Detest me, curse me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, Run and cling to your pitiful life."_

The irony of it all doesn't escape him.

Still after explaining his reasoning behind suspecting her he turns to Sebastian, thankful that he had prepared for this eventuality.

His soul shudders, burdened by his memories and his next order but he ignores it all because all along the voices were right.

"Sebastian, in my name and that of the Queen. I order you, get rid of them."

It wasn't the first time he'd had to sacrifice a piece of himself on order of another.

 **TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"I'm alive."

The statement, one that would bring relief to any other, only filled him with disgust and anger. He glared angrily at the face in the mirror, taking in the differences of his old face and this new one, the Mangekyou spinning wildly in both eyes for a mere second before he deactivated it.

Wide bicolored eyed one blue and one a glowing amethyst, so deceptively innocent, skin moonlit pale just as it had been before, and messy slate grey hair that fell to frame an angelic face.

He had thought that his life would end when the Chidori had plunged through his chest and he had been ready for it. To be alive, reincarnation or not, seemed to be a slap in the face to all of the sacrifices and means he'd taken to get there.

Not to mention that his current incarnation reminded him so much of Sasuke that it _hurt._ His need for revenge, for salvation, so strong it sent him into the jaws of a demon.

Even now, as their memories continued to merged he felt both ashamed and angry for what had happened to him and disgust that anyone would use a child such a way.

" _It wouldn't be the first time such a thing has happened to you, is it?"_ His mind taunted and he shuddered forcing those thoughts out of his mind and focusing back on the problem on hand.

He was no longer Uchiha Itachi.

But…he wasn't Ciel anymore either.

Instead he was something in between, still in a fragile state of merging memories and clashing personalities because while Ciel thrived on _hatred_ and _vengeance,_ Itachi was older and wiser and he knew that hatred only cycled more hatred and vengeance never led to peace, just all-consuming emptiness.

A soft sigh escaped his lips and he placed a hand over the eye holding his contract with Sebastian.

Then again, maybe it wasn't all bad. Being eaten by a demon would guarantee him the peace his first death had denied him, of this he was sure.

For once something, say a soul, was lost…it could never return.

* * *

 _He's crying._

 _Silent sobs wrack his slender frame as he stares down at his blood stained hands and remembers the final moments of his parents._

" _ **Tou-san, Kaa-san, I-"**_

" _ **I know, Itachi." His mother says calmly but she doesn't turn. " I'm sorry it had to be you." Somehow he knows she smiling that same gentle smile she always gave him when she saw him holding Sasuke. "I forgive you."**_

 _ **He swallows thickly and tries not to scream at the unfairness of it all, his heart straining under the heavy burden he has undertaken.**_

 _ **His father speaks next and his hands begin to tremble.**_

" _ **Itachi just promise me this. Take care of Sasuke." The katana in his hands rattles, his shoulders heaving as he tried to keep his sobs silent. It hurt. It hurt so much.**_

 _ **Why?**_

 _ **Why did it have to be them?**_

" _ **I will." He whispers and his father smiles just slightly.**_

" _ **Do not fear, for your pain will be greater than ours. Just know that despite all our differences, I am proud of you. You truly are a kind child"**_

 _ **Steeling his heart, he raised the blade then swung it downwards in a graceful arc, valiantly ignoring the spray of blood that coated his already blood-stained form.**_

 _Curling in on himself at the memory he let out another sob, just wishing for the day that Sasuke became strong enough to punish him for his crimes._

" _I'm so sorry, otouto. So sorry."_

A sharp gasp left Ciel's lips as he shot awake, tears streaming down his cheeks heavily as he remembered the feel of blood on his skin and pain gripping his heart. He was tempted to call Sebastian and ask him to run him a bath, yet the Itachi part of him stopped him. No, he would need to learn to rely on himself. Sebastian, while fanatically loyal, was a demon, not a pet. His pride as an Uchiha wouldn't allow him to depend on another for something so simple.

Slipping from his bed, he made his way into the attached bathroom. Washing his face in a nearby basin, he silently ran a bath, marveling at how much easier it was now than it had been in Itachi's time. Just as he entered the water, footsteps sounded from the hall.

He ignored them. Had it been anyone dangerous Sebastian would've taken care of it. Sliding down lower in the water, he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift, instinctively using his chakra to monitor his surroundings.

He would need to start training again. His body was weak, pitifully so, and although he had Sebastian to defend him he would rather not be helpless should something incapacitate the demon. In addition to this, his chakra seemed to have grown and he knew if he didn't learn to control it soon it would seriously damage his already frail body. He also needed to get weapons. The unbalanced swords he'd seen the queen's butler and Lao carry were of sub quality.

He needed his katana back.

His chakra wavered, alerting him to the fact someone was nearing and he turned to find Sebastian entering wearing a very perturbed frown.

"Young Master? Why did you not call for me? I would have run your bath."

Ciel sighed, hearing the offence in the older male's voice, and sat up fully.

"I wished to be alone." He offered softly, then cursed inwardly. As Ciel Phantomhive he would never have offered an explanation, merely told the demon off. Seemed this was going to be harder than he thought.

Sebastian frowned deeper, but let it go knowing from experience that the child would say no more. Instead, he assisted the boy from the bath and started to dry him off with the large towel he'd brought along. His master glanced at him for a moment, a troubled frown briefly overtaking his features before it was hidden and he spoke.

"Breakfast?"

Giving a brief summary of the breakfast he had prepared for his master, the demon straitened and led the child to his room where he had set out the day's outfit. Dressing him swiftly, he glanced up to find the boy staring out the window, at the forest with a blank expression.

He reasoned that maybe the cause of his lord's strange behavior was the passing of Madame Red and her funeral the day before. However, his instincts told him it was something deeper and he would find out what.

After all, if he couldn't help his master, what kind of butler would he be?

 **TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

" _ **Uchiha Fugaku."**_

" _ **Uchiha Mikoto."**_

" _ **Uchiha Shisui."**_

" _ **Uchiha Sasuke."**_

 _ **The four aforementioned people looked around them bewildered, taking in the darkness around them and the booming voice calling their names. All of them knew they were dead, some due to duty, others by their own hand, but they were all keenly aware that the one person that linked them all together was not currently present.**_

 _ **But how?**_

 _ **Itachi was dead too…wasn't he?**_

" _ **So you have noticed." The voice stated and Fugaku scowled.**_

" _ **Where is my son, you bastard!" He yelled and the temperature around them cooled.**_

" _ **Silence!" The voice thundered. "Uchiha Fugaku, it was your arrogance and greed, and your wife's complacency that led to the suffering of your eldest son and the breaking of your youngest. You'd do well to listen to what I about to tell you. For it will serve you well."**_

 _ **The Uchiha patriarch fell silent, glowering at the faceless darkness around him.**_

" _ **For those of you that did not know, Itachi was killed five years ago by his baby brother." Fugaku and Mikoto shot a glance at the young man standing between them and Shisui. He stared back impassively.**_

" _ **After his death, he was supposed to be sent straight to heaven for his selflessness and the sacrifices he'd made in life. However, as his soul left his body…it was stolen and forced into the reincarnation cycle."**_

 _ **Sasuke scowled darkly. "So when Kabuto brought him back, he pulled him from his new life?"**_

" _ **No, but it does pertain to why you four are here. Whoever stole Itachi's soul locked his memories away and they were partially released during one of the most influential events of his new life leaving him so far engulfed in his hatred that he has- well it's not good. Your job, is to help him find his way again. But be warned, for he is far more jaded than he was in this life."**_

 _ **Sasuke frowned worriedly. "Who are you?"**_

 _ **A chuckled sounded and the darkness began to fade away.**_

" _ **You may call me**_ **Kami** _ **."**_

* * *

 _This…this was impossible! It had to be!_

 _He had died! He was now Ciel Phantomhive, Earl of the Phantomhive estate! He wasn't Uchiha Itachi anymore._

 _So why was he seeing this?_

 _His otouto, his precious otouto was fighting beside him, against a monster that shared the face and personality of Orochimaru's apprentice, Kabuto._

 _His otouto, who he had told…_ **The Truth** _._

 _His heart constricted in his chest and he fought not to breakdown and weep, fought not to beg for the forgiveness he knew he didn't deserve. Instead he rested his forehead against the teen's and smiled._

" _From here on out, no matter what you do, just know that I will always love you."_

 _Sasuke stared up at him tearfully, pleading with him to make Kabuto stop the release of the Edo Tensei but he just smiled, allowing the peace of the afterlife to engulf him in its warm glow._

 _He was at peace._

Then he was awake.

For a moment, he could do nothing but gaze up at the ceiling blankly, mourning the loss of the peace he had only been allowed to enjoy for a moment.

Somehow, Kabuto had dragged part of his soul from his current body and used it in his Edo Tensei in an effort to destroy Konoha. However, thanks to Shisui's eye, which he had entrusted to Sasuke's not-boyfriend, Kabuto's control over him had been broken and he'd been able to stop the bastard and release the jutsu.

Moreover, Sasuke knew The Truth of everything he'd done now, and while his otouto hadn't forgiven him, he felt lighter all the same.

A tiny smile crossed his lips and he slipped from his bed to get dressed.

He needed to get some training in before Sebastian came to dress him for the day. With everything going on around him, he needed to get higher than the mere jounin level he'd reached in the three months since regaining his memories. Much higher.

Slipping out the window, he cast a low-level genjutsu to keep from alerting the demon to his absence and disappeared into the forest.

Two hours later found him running a bath for himself and ignoring the throbbing in his muscles from the intense sparring session he'd just had with his Kage bunshin, and the itch in his eyes begging him to activate his sharingan.

In the three months since regaining his memories he'd barely activated his kekkei genkai, unwilling to give away his one trump card over the people in this world. Let them think he was a helpless child without his demon, it would be their last regret, for the pacifist in him was just too jaded and too broken to care anymore.

There was no room for a pacifist in the underworld of his first life and there was no room for one in the underworld of this one. If his hands had to rewash themselves in the slick of blood and his soul had to take on the burden of more deaths, more broken families, to protect the innocents and complete his mission then he would do it.

Because he was a tool, a weapon, and tools weren't supposed to have feelings, no matter how much his heart cried otherwise.

The bath filled, he undressed and slipped into the tub, ignoring the way the water seemed to bleed red the moment it touched his skin.

No feelings.

None at all.

* * *

Sebastian entered the room with his usual smile, a perturbed gleam in his eyes as it was every time he found Ciel bathing himself. It went against his code as a Phantomhive butler to have his master doing a job he saw as his own.

"Good morning, bocchan."

The young earl didn't respond, staring into the water with a pensive expression.

"Bocchan?"

The child glanced at him with an unnervingly blank look in his eyes then hummed softly, before standing.

"My schedule?"

The demon stared at his contractor for a moment, a small frown on his lips, before he covered it with his usual smile.

"You have a meeting with Lau right after breakfast, also Lady Elizabeth will be visiting this evening with her parents. Your lessons for the day have been postponed for tomorrow and you have a meeting with Her Majesty right after lunch."

His master gave another soft hum but didn't speak as he dressed him. Tying a ribbon around the child's neck to complete his outfit he fought a frown. How had he neglected to notice that his master was due for a haircut? The Earl's hair reached his shoulders, something that the child had once complained was unacceptable.

"Shall I schedule a trip to the barber as well?" He asked and Ciel frowned.

"No."

Sebastian waited for him to elaborate but the boy said nothing else on the matter. Instead he reached for a ribbon and tied his hair back in a low tail.

The demon pondered the look for a moment then sighed. "Whatever am I to do with you, young master?"

Ciel smirked, but it lacked the usual arrogance. Instead it was faintly amused, like the smile a parent would give an errant child and Sebastian fought not to bristle at the implied accusation.

"Shall we?"

He nodded and led the boy from the room, still no closer to figuring out why his master had changed than he was when the changes had begun.

He glanced at the child, noting the strange grace the boy seemed to have acquired, his keen eyes catching sight of the purple polish coating his master's nails. It had shocked him when he had come to wake the boy to find him sitting calmly on the window seat painting his nails and when he'd asked, Ciel had only smiled sardonically and ignored the question.

Asking directly about the changes had only gotten him a raised eyebrow from his master and a sarcastic "what changes?"

It was maddening.

"If you are done?"

He blinked at the soft monotone that broke him from his thoughts.

"My apologies, my lord."

Ciel stiffened, but relaxed immediately, making him wonder what had offended him but he pushed to the back of his mind.

He would discover the cause of these changes and hopefully return his master back to normal.

 **TBC…**

* * *

 **A/N: I know that Ciel is more Itachi than Ciel, but I feel that Itachi will be the more dominant personality because he is the base-soul and Ciel's personality was mainly built off of his misunderstanding of his memories and his own words to Sasuke.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Prince Soma was an interesting character. His personality was something of a mix of Naruto's mischievous nature and naïve innocence and Sasuke's posturing and arrogance, calling to the big brother in Ciel in a way he hadn't felt since before the massacre in his last life.

He found himself meeting the prince's antics with a patient smile, although he was firm in how he handled the child's disrespect and bratty attitude, the harsher parts of his personality making themselves known when the boy trampled over people's feelings without care or threw temper tantrums.

As he was doing now.

"But this betrayal, why would he do it?! Why do the people close to me always leave?!" The child cried shoving the entire tea set before him to the floor, shattering it. Jumping to his feet, he began to cry and rushed from the room.

Ciel stared at the tea set, stone-faced, vaguely aware that Sebastian was speaking.

He wanted to feel bad for the child, he truly did, but he couldn't. For all that Soma was older than him, the prince seemed to see everyone around him as little more than possessions, showing little to no real care for those around him, even though he knew the child had a good heart.

He could easily see that Agni was in a position similar to his own, betraying those he loved to protect them, and he refused to let Soma endanger the man more. Feigning exhaustion, he excused himself from the room and made his way to the Prince's bedroom.

The child was already in bed, the blankets pulled over his head and he pursed his lips.

"Get up." He ordered sharply and the bundle on the bed jolted, a head of purple hair peeking from under the blanket.

"Ciel, I'm trying to sleep."

"Get. Up. I will not repeat myself again, Prince Soma." The teen replied impassively and something in his tone made the older boy obey.

Ciel stared at him for a long moment.

"You are hurt and angry right now, and that is completely understandable. However, you seem to have forgotten that you are a _guest_ in my home, an uninvited one at that. Please refrain from damaging anymore of my property and treating my workers to as slaves. I have been nothing but lenient and hospitable, but I refuse to continue allowing you to act like a child. Am I clear?"

Speechless, the older teen nodded and Ciel's impassive features softened.

"Very well. Good night, Prince Soma."

He said leaving the room. Soma stared after him long after he was gone.

 ***/***

"What are you doing here? Where is your Sebastian?"

Earl Phantomhive smiled at his questions, seated delicately on the edge of his bed. Had he not seen how ruthless the child could be when "working" he'd be fooled by his innocuous appearance. His long slate gray hair was pulled back into its usual low tail, purple nailed hands clasped in his lap as his one visible eye met Agni's own.

He'd been wary of the child Earl since he and Soma had met him, something about him setting his senses off. At times, he acted much older than he was, his eye aging when it seemed no one was watching. Others he seemed every bit the arrogant child lord he appeared to be, flying through masks and acts with the grace of someone who'd been doing so since birth. He was world-wearier, less innocent than Agni's own charge, despite being several years younger and there was little doubt in the butler's mind that the boy was well aware of the darker sides of humanity. He wouldn't be one of countless others who'd underestimate him for his appearance.

"Sebastian is unaware of my absence as of yet. As for my purpose here, I am only here to tell you a story."

Agni frowned. "A story?"

The child hummed, cold blue eyes clouding over as he stared at something only he could see.

"A story. One quite similar to your own. Hopefully yours will have a better outcome than the tale I'll tell."

Taking a seat beside the child, his curiosity getting the best of him, despite everything in him telling him to return the child to his butler, who would no doubt be worried.

Earl Phantomhive, didn't seem to notice, his voice soft as he began to his tale.

"Millenia ago, before the formation of the countries we now know, there were the elemental nations. Like their name suggests, the nations were name after the elements. There was _Hi no Kuni_ , the Land of fire, _Tsuchi no Kuni_ , the Land of Earth, _Tetsu no Kuni_ , The Land of Iron, _Kaminari no Kuni_ , the Land of Lightning, _Mizu no Kuni_ , The Land of water, and _Kaze no Kuni_ , The Land of Wind. In these lands were the five great shinobi nations. _Hi no Kuni,_ the most powerful of the nations had _**Konohagakure no Sato**_ , the Village Hidden by Tree Leaves*. _Kaze no Kuni_ had _**Sunagakure no Sato**_ , The Village Hidden in the Sand, _Kaminari_ had _**Kumogakure**_ , the village Hidden in the Clouds, _Tsuchi,_ _ **Iwagakure**_ **,** The Village hidden in the Rocks, and _Mizu,_ _ **Kirigakure**_ , The Hidden Mist."

He paused and Agni found himself entranced by the world the child was building. He also wondered how extensive his imagination was if he could create such a world.

"Konoha, was strongest of the five great nations, as previously stated and had proved its might by producing some of the strongest shinobi the world had ever seen. A man who could move so fast, he was able to cut down over five hundred men in a single battle. Another who's prowess was legendary, even after he was shamed for failing a mission that led to a war. A woman who could create craters in the earth with single punch and heal someone near death in the next breath. Most infamous of all was a man who turned on his best friend for power, able to control the strongest of demons with eyes the color of blood. My story is centered around one of the man's descendants who was in a position much like your own.

You see, Konoha was founded by the man and his friend, their clans the two strongest in the village, but rivals all the same. His clan, while powerful always seemed to come second to their rivals and they resented that fact deeply. When the most powerful of demons attacked Konohagakure, his clan was blamed due to their rumored abilities and that resentment festered. The village leader placed the clan under surveillance only strengthening their growing hatred for the village and soon the Clan head came up with the idea of a coup d'état. He had two sons, the younger of who was only a toddler. The older child, however had already began his shinobi career having graduated much earlier than any of his classmates."

"Isn't that good? Education is important."

"Not when it leads to a seven-year-old child being sent out to battle. The academy was to teach the children the shinobi arts, clan heirs were required to attend, civilian children were not, but many did so anyways, in love with the notion of being a hero and earning prestige and glory. Upon graduation, they are given a hiate braded with symbol of their village as proof of their allegiance to their village's military. Once they pass the final test given by their designated team leader, they are legally adults, no matter their age. The shinobi villages were not democracies, they were military dictatorships and the Kage, the leader, had final say in all decisions. Shinobi are tools for their village and their kage, to disobey results in execution or exile. The boy graduated at seven years old, officially an adult in the eyes of the village and he advanced through the ranks quickly. By age eleven he was a part of the village's elite assassination squad, a fact his father reveled in for it meant he had another pipeline of information to the village.

Unbeknownst to his father, however, he and the other spy planted in the village weren't only feeding him information, they were telling the Hokage of the impending coup d'état and trying to work out a solution to stop it. The boy had seen the war that had only ended a few years before the demon attack and had grown weary of it. He wanted his brother to have the childhood he'd been denied and knew if his father's plans went through the result would be a civil war and possibly even another Great War, both of which would taint said brother. For two years, he worked as a double agent for both his clan and his village before finally his fellow spy found what seemed to be a perfect solution."

He stopped and stared at Agni for a long, _long_ moment and the butler found himself wondering what he was looking for. Before he could ask, however, the boy continued his tale.

"It didn't work. And the other spy entrusted his friend with one of his most valuable possessions before forcing his friend to watch as he committed suicide. In doing so, he helped the boy unlock one of their clan's most feared secrets, one he, himself had already possessed. When informed of the failure, the village elders forced him to make a choice. Die with his clan, including the little brother he cherished the most, or kill his clan, and allow his brother to live. He chose the former…and as a result killed 398 people in a single night. He allowed his brother to come home and find him standing over their parents' bodies, bloodied blade in hand and by sheer force of will, put on an act that, until his death, all but one would believe. In doing so, he led his brother onto the path of their clan's cursed hatred, bearing the brunt of it to preserve the image of their family in the boy's eyes as well as prevent a war that would've led to the deaths of thousands. He left his village an international criminal and joined an organization with criminals of the same rank, with crimes just as heinous. For years he served as his village's spy in the organization until finally his little brother became powerful enough to accomplish the goal he'd set for him."

Agni's brow furrowed. "What was the goal?"

Ciel smiled, a warm thing that contrasted the words he spoke.

"To kill him."

The butler gasped. "B-but why?! He was innocent!"

"If he died his brother killed him, their clan's honor would be restored and his brother would never know the truth."

"What happened?"

"His brother killed him."

Agni stared at him, understanding what the moral of the child's story was. He had done the same as the boy in the story, betraying his most precious person to save him and to spare him from the pain the truth would cause him. In doing so, he'd hurt him, and made him believe he was his enemy.

"Did his brother ever find out the truth?"

Something sad flashed in the teen's single eyes, making them seem older and wearier than he'd ever seen them and suddenly something clicked in Agni's mind.

"He did. It destroyed him, and he turned his grief and rage in the village in retaliation. Do not make it so that Soma feels the same."

The child Earl stood to leave and the question escaped before Agni could stop it.

"Were you the older brother or the younger?"

His lips quirked, yet he didn't seem surprised at the question.

"The elder."

"What was your name?"

"Itachi."

 **TBC…**


	5. Interlude: Lau's New Guards

**Interlude: Lau's new Guards**

 _ **Three Month Post Madame Red's Death:**_

How peculiar.

He tilted his head as he stared at the four unconscious people lying on the floor of his den, a note stapled to one of the men's vest.

 _Found these in front of my shop. Thought they may belong to you._

 _Undertaker_

It was an easy mistake to make, seeing as how most of the eastern population in London worked under him, but these weren't his. He knew nearly everyone under him, if not by name then by face, but he'd never seen them before.

They all shared similar features, telling him they were all related, parents and their two young sons perhaps?

It would fit.

He leaned closer, opening his eyes completely so that he could observe them closer, his theory of them being a family making more sense the more he saw.

The male with the note stapled to him was the oldest of the group, either in his later thirties or early forties, his feature twisted into a scowl even in oblivion. His skin was darker than his companions giving away the fact he spent most of his time outside, his body fitter than most men half his age. Of the group, he was the only one not sporting a head of raven hair, instead his was a dark chocolate color. He was curled protectively around what could only be his wife, whose face was twisted in grief.

She was beautiful, long raven black hair and pale skin that reminded him of a certain child Earl. She wore a black yukata, a red and white fan on the back, one dainty hand clutching her husband's dark green vest.

Next was the oldest son, his hair the same black hair as his mother and brother, cropped short in a messy disarray atop his head. Like his mother his face was twisted in grief but somehow, he knew that wasn't the young man's usual expression. There were lines near his mouth that showed he like to smile and his body, like his father's, was fit, a strange headband tied around his head.

Last was the youngest, although he couldn't be more than a year younger than his elder brother, his hair swooped up in the back eerily reminiscent of a duck's behind. His face was unnervingly blank in his sleep, the open chested yukata showing off his muscular form to the world, and a sword strapped to his waist.

He wondered if the boy knew how to use that blade.

Ran Mao hummed softly, tensing when the four unknowns began to stir.

The father was the first to wake, onyx eyes snapping open and automatically going to where they were standing. His grip on his wife tightened and he was on his feet before either of them could move.

"Shisui, Sasuke, up." He barked, his accented English giving away his Japanese heritage.

Both sons shot awake and moved to their feet, standing in front of their parents protectively, the elder more so than the younger.

He chuckled and raised his hands placatingly.

"Calm, we mean you no harm."

The younger son snorted, narrowing his dark eyes at him. "Then why are you both armed and watching us."

"You are in my home. An acquaintance of mine found you and mistook you as one of my workers after finding you unconscious in his shop."

The elder son stared at him, then nodded straightening out of his ready stance, the younger following with a scoff that reminded him strongly of Earl Phantomhive's annoyed face.

"My apologies," The wife began, smiling warmly and he fought a blush. "We have no idea where we are. Last we knew, we were waiting for our eldest son, next we knew we were waking up here."

She wasn't lying, per se, but she certainly wasn't telling the truth. Interesting.

"You are in London." He offered.

She tilted her head, and he saw the entire family share looks of confusion.

"London?"

"Great Britain?" He tried to explain but their confusion wasn't abated and he bit back a groan.

They just stared at him and he felt dread pool in his stomach.

Ran Mao made a soft noise in her throat, and he glanced over at her curiously.

" _They are lost. Offer them shelter in exchange for protection. You were looking for new body guards, anyways…and if they betray us there is no one who knows who they so they'll be easier to get rid of."_

She whispered in their home language. He thought about it for a moment.

" _The men look like fighters, but the woman is a mere housewife. What shall I do with her?"_

" _She is also carrying weapons,"_ She pointed out _. "However, if she is really just a house wife perhaps a maid?"_

He nodded and turned to their guests who were watching him with narrowed eyes.

"What are your names?"

The father pursed his lips. "I am Uchiha Fugaku, and this is my wife Uchiha Mikoto."

The older son spoke next, his lips curling into a bright grin. "Uchiha Shisui."

"Sasuke." The youngest said curtly and he smirked.

Definitely an older version of the Earl.

"Well, since it seems like you're in a bit of a predicament, I can help you all, for a price of course."

"Of course." Replied Fugaku neutrally. "And your price is?"

"My dear Ran Mao and I are in need of more bodyguards. Provided you pass the requirements, I would be willing to give you room and board in exchange for your protection. If your wife is unable to fight, I could also use a made around here."

Mikoto glared at him, her lips curling into a sneer. "I can fight as well as any man." She replied and he smiled.

"I meant no offense."

She nodded.

"Good."

"Ready for your test?"

"Now?" Shisui asked surprised and he nodded.

"You will be fighting my Ran Mao. She _is_ the best assassin in the England, after all."

Sasuke smirked. "One on one?"

"Of course."

All four Uchiha smirked, and he almost thought their eyes flashed red for a moment.

Dread pooled in his stomach as he stepped back, prompting him to add one more stipulation to the impending matches.

"No permanent damage."

*/*

Unbelievable.

In the time, he'd been in charge of the Opium Dens, no one had ever come close to beating Ran Mao. She was hailed as the greatest assassin China had ever seen, and one of the strongest despite her deceiving appearance…yet here in the span of fifteen minutes each of the Uchiha family members had beaten his beloved sister without breaking a sweat or drawing their weapons.

 _They weren't even out of breath!_

Ran Mao sat at his feet glaring at them as she panted for breath, her pale skin bruised in places, yet her face untouched.

He was thankful for that small favor.

The Uchiha fought like it ran through their veins, as if they'd been doing it since they left the womb, each move precise and calculated, never a step wasted.

It was like a deadly dance and worse he could tell they were holding back.

Oh, he was so going to need them…especially when Earl Phantomhive was finally put on his trail.

He was under no illusions that the Queen was unaware of the secrets he knew about her regarding the deaths of the late Vincent Phantomhive and his wife, especially when she'd hired his people to commit the arson in the first place. She would be sending the Earl and his faithful butler after him soon and he had no wish to end up on the wrong side of Sebastian.

The man was scarily efficient and the danger he exuded beneath that benevolent smile of his only heightened the fear he felt of the man.

Perhaps with the Uchiha and Ran Mao he'd outlive the little Earl and the Queen's game.

Mind made up he nodded and offered them a grin.

"You're hired."

Later he would realize how big of a mistake those words had been.

 **TBC…**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Sebastian blinked.

Looked up.

Then blinked again.

There were people standing on the ceiling. Four of them, wearing all black and nearly shrouded in the shadows, not a sliver of skin to be seen.

They'd appeared suddenly, their arrival so subtle and silent he could tell no one had noticed them, not even his young master, who was watching him with a slight frown.

Right, distractions.

Still, he could feel from their auras that they weren't demons, nor were they reapers. Whatever the case may be, he spared the figures one last glance then went back to focusing on the curry he was preparing. He could not lose.

He was a Phantomhive butler.

THE Phantomhive butler.

He would not lose.

He would win the royal warrant; mysterious guards be damned.

 ***/***

Agni pursed his lips as he focused on preparing his best curry, the Earl Phantomhive's story ringing in his ears.

Itachi had found his salvation in being killed by his brother, the brother he'd sacrificed everything to keep the truth from. He would not let things end like that for he and Soma. His love and devotion to his prince was absolute, and he would do whatever it took to keep the boy happy.

His heart sank when he saw that his prince was not present, his gaze seeking the young Earl's whose mask was in full effect.

A single blue eye stared back, eyebrow rising slightly.

 _The choice is yours,_ it said, _what will you do now?_

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sebastian glance at him then at his master, a troubled glint in his gaze and his resolve hardened.

 _I will win!_

He was determined to do so.

He _had_ to.

His prince's happiness depended on it.

Reinvigorated by his new resolve he went to work, putting his hand of Khali to good use. He was distantly aware of the audiences chattering, of their gasps of astonishment.

He didn't care.

He would win, for his prince.

 ***/***

Intriguing.

Seems Lau had hired new bodyguards.

He'd noticed them as soon as they'd appeared in the room, their presence brushing against his chakra, even as no one else but Lau and Sebastian seemed to notice their arrival. They were shrouded in black from head to toe, their chakras masked just as well as their presence.

More shocking however was the fact that they were shinobi, real shinobi.

He wondered if he'd know them, and he could feel in his gut that he would. It made him grateful that he'd masked his own chakra until no one, not even a civilian child would be able to feel it.

As everyone separated to taste the offered curies, he turned and left to find Prince Soma. With Agni giving his all to keep Soma in the dark about the betrayal of his beloved Mina, he felt the least the boy could do was support him.

One of the shinobi followed him, but he paid them no heed. He would continue to play the civilian Earl, dependent on his butler to save him.

Lau's new guards weren't his concern.

At least they wouldn't be until the man betrayed him, because he had no doubt he would.

Unseen by the shinobi, a miniscule smirk crossed his lips.

Perhaps he should invite Lau to the upcoming dinner he had with one of the associates that had angered Her Majesty. The opium den leader wouldn't be able to resist getting one over on the "bratty Earl", as many called him behind his back.

Perhaps then the niggling feeling in the back of his mind would go away.

 ***/***

Mikoto raised an eyebrow as she followed the young Earl Phantomhive, inwardly lamenting the fact that a child so young had been thrust into the dark underworld.

Their new boss had pointed him out after the combat test stating that while the bod had no combat skill, other than his startling accuracy with guns, he was one of the most feared figures of the underworld they now had to navigate through. His butler was terrifyingly efficient as both a butler and an assassin as well as any role the little Earl gave him.

She thought he was exaggerating, however she'd seen the way the butler had glanced in their direction despite them hiding their presence. How his first concern had been the slender boy in front of her and she had to wonder just what the man so loyal to him.

She heaved a soft sigh, watching as he came to a stop beside a purple haired teen a few years his senior.

"What are you doing?" He asked and she blinked at his harsh, almost callous tone. "You are aware your butler is competing up there, are you not going to support him?"

She nodded in agreement to his words while the purple haired boy bowed his head. "I know," He began morosely, "but I have thinking. I have been so ignorant, I never even tried to understand how Mina always felt! How Agni still must feel!"

Lord Phantomhive snorted and turned to walk back the way he came. "If you can see that much then what are you doing standing here?" He paused and looked back at his friend. "He has fought for you how many times now? Butler or not you owe him something for that."

His piece said, he walked away back to the main room of the competition leaving both his purple haired companion and Mikoto to stare after him. Unbidden a smile made its way across the kunoichi's lips and she followed him back into the room of the competition, noting the way his butler automatically looked him over for wounds.

Yeah, with words like that, she could see how he kept his butler, as well as the servants of his household that had accompanied him, so loyal.

The little Earl was certainly someone to look out for.

Perhaps this world would be a bit more interesting than she thought it would be. She glanced down at the child who was having a conversation with his butler, remembering how the darkness of the world had ripped away her eldest son's innocence and she vowed not to let the underworld do the same to Lord Phantomhive. She didn't think she'd be able to bare it if he fell to the dark forces around him and became as shattered as her Itachi had and she'd do anything to keep that from happening…even if she had to go against Lau to do so.

 ***/***

He had failed.

He'd tried so hard to keep Mina's betrayal from his prince but in the end, it had all been for naught. Tears of blood streamed down his cheeks, and he didn't care that all the Englishmen in the room were watching him sob at his own betrayal, all he cared about was the fact that he'd failed to protect the one that saved him. Behind him, the Queen was awarding Sebastian the royal warrant, and he gasped as Mina started to yell about inequality. Everyone around them seemed to lose themselves to their inner hatred, and his only thought was getting to his prince to protect him.

Ciel stood in front of the queen and her butler, and he could see that he was playing the helpless child trying to be brave.

Everyone was buying it.

Four shadows leapt from the ceiling and joined the fray, knocking out the maddened crowd like they were merely children. Sebastian was fighting Mina and once his Prince said his peace, he joined him, heart lighter than it had been in weeks.

' _For you, My Prince, I will fight. You need not ask me. Itachi, our story will have a better ending. I promise you.'_

Mina lunged past them racing in Ciel's direction and he gasped when one of the shadows appeared before her and knocked her unconscious with a well place chop to the neck.

And suddenly, it was all over.

He glanced over at Ciel, who met his gaze briefly then turned back to the queen and her butler.

He could only pray that this time Ciel's story would have a happier ending this time.

*/*

Violet eyes narrowed as they took in the four new players in the room. Even with their superior eyes, they were unable to see anything distinguishable about them barring their onyx eyes and their genders.

It seemed Ciel Phantomhive's chess pieces were starting to amass.

No matter they would snuff all of them out.

One of the four glanced in their direction then at the child Earl and they fought to keep their expression clear.

The Unclean.

The Unnecessary.

The Unwanted.

Snuff.

It.

 ** _Out._**

 **TBC…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

"There's something here we aren't seeing." Sasuke muttered as he and his family sat in the room Lau had provided for them.

Their client wasn't a particularly dependable man, but they stayed with him to blend in until they could find Itachi. Still, Sasuke could tell that something was off with him, and he knew that his family could as well.

It was as if they were trapped in the middle of a game of chess, yet were still missing most of the pieces , unaware of where their opponent was moving until their own pawns were taken.

It was infuriating.

His mother hummed softly. "Perhaps it has something to do with the child."

He frowned, as did the others.

"Child?"

"The earl from the curry competition. Lau seemed eerily focused on him and he noticed us even before his butler."

He frowned. "The boy with the eye patch? Why?"

"He confronted the prince during the tournament and immediately afterwards, he pretended to be defenseless when the girl began her attack. He noticed I was following him, but other than a slight twitch in my direction, he made no indication that he did."

Shisui pursed his lips. "Are you- you think he's Itachi's current incarnation?"

Mikoto nodded. "It would make sense wouldn't it?"

He reluctantly nodded, having noticed the way the child had kept his single visible eye on his servants the entire battle, even when it seemed aloof and uncaring, he recognized it as the look the younger had given him when he was worried but denied it.

Footsteps sounded, ending their conversation, and they turned as one as Lau entered with Ran Mao on his arm, his favored fox-like grin curling his lips.

"Good, you're already dressed. Let's go."

"Where?"

"Earl Phantomhive has invited us all for dinner. Apparently there is an important meeting tonight and he would like us to be present. So fond of his games, the child."

They shared a look but nodded, following the man from the room silently. AS the trip commenced they couldn't help but wonder how the dinner would go if Earl Phantomhive truly was their missing relative.

If he didn't truly remember them.

They also wondered if the wished that he didn't, after all he _had_ suffered enough.

 ***/***

"Bocchan, the guests will be arriving soon."

Ciel hummed softly at the butler's words, single blue eye clouded as he stared out the window of his office, his mind far from the announcement he'd been given.

Instead it was trapped in a hell of its own making, pleasant and painful all at the same time.

A hell full of memories he wasn't sure he wanted to remember.

" _Itachi-san, what's the real reason?"_

 _Looking up from where he'd been painting his nails, Itachi tilted his head, turning his attention to massive man sitting beside him._

 _Two years had passed since he'd joined the Akatsuki, one since he'd lost his original partner and been assigned Kisame, and for the first time in years, he felt at home._

 _Kisame was brash and full of energy, but he gave Itachi his space when he needed, bullying him into accepting his comfort when he thought he needed it. Most importantly, he treated him like a human._

 _For so long, people had treated him one way or another because of his clan's status and his genius. He was held on a pedestal, always expected to succeed, to be the ruthless killer lurking in the shadows. He was expected to be emotionless, empty. Hell, even the other Akatsuki seemed to treat him different than they treated each other, like they thought he believed he was above "trivial" things like friendship and human contact._

 _But Kisame-_

 _Kisame was different from anyone, even his family._

 _Not only did he acknowledge Itachi's emotions, he forced_ Itachi _to acknowledge them, to_ feel _them._

 _Let him feel broken._

 _And in turn, he made Kisame see that for all his ferocity and appearance suggested, he wasn't a monster._

 _It hadn't surprised him that they had fallen into the relationship they were in now._

 _It also didn't surprise him that it was this acknowledgment that led to Kisame's question. For so long, they'd ignored the truth of the massacre, him waving away Kisame's questions about it with vague, bullshit answers._

 _The shark man hadn't given up on getting the truth from him and he'd known eventually that he would have to answer him._

 _Still, he tried to stall a little longer._

" _The real reason?"_

 _The elder man scowled, amber eyes flashing._

" _You're a pacifist, or at least as close to a pacifist you can be as a shinobi but you told me that you let your bratty brother believe that you killed you clan for power. I know you, Itachi-san. You don't care about power. So, what really happened?"_

 _He stared at him for a moment, then in the softest of whispers, he called upon his sharingan and allowed his memories of that night and days leading to it to play._

 _Kisame bore it all, his gaze growing colder with each passing second and for the first time in his life, Itachi knew heartbreak._

 _There was a hatred building in Kisame's eyes the more the memories played out and it felt as if his world were shattering beneath his feet. His impending death, and Kisame, were the only things holding him together. If he lost Kisame, well even he knew that looking toward your own death wasn't the best reason to continue living._

 _He looked away, breaking the connection between them...and waited._

" _Never again." His partner growled, pulling him into a firm embrace and he melted._

" _No one will ever use you like that again, Itachi-san. You deserve so much better than that."_

 _His eyes burned with tears he refused to allow fall. "Thank you."_

 _A chaste kiss pressed against his lips in reply and he closed his eyes, wondering if Kisame even knew what he was thanking him for._

 _Probably._

A soft chuckle left him at the memory, soft and sad, his eyes burning just as they had that day.

For so long it had been him and Kisame against the world and now, now he was stuck in a war with no one at his back but a demon he could barely bring himself to trust, and a drug dealer that would slit his throat the moment he got a better offer.

How ironic that the world that knew nothing of his crimes was the one where he was completely alone.

"Bocchan?"

His eyes snapped back to Sebastian, the flashing of his sharingan the only thing giving away his surprise.

"Sebastian, how long until Lau arrives?"

"An hour."

A slow, dangerous smile crawled across the child earl's lips. "Lau will no doubt bring his...company. Be sure to set a place for them at the table."

Sebastian smirked and bowed. "Yes, bocchan." The man turned to leave the room lips turning downward slightly.

What had put such a desolate smile on his master's face?

And _why_ were his _very human_ master's eyes flashing demon red?

 ***/***

Earl Phantomhive was his son, Fugaku was sure of it.

For all that he'd been a horrible father, he'd recognize his eldest son anywhere, even while gazing into a bright blue eye that should've been deep onyx. Tear troughs, not as deep as they'd been in his past life but still visible marred his too young face, pale skin the same ivory it had been the day he slit their throats.

He shouldn't have been able to see them, hidden in the shadows as they were, but his eyes had found them immediately as he greeted Lau and Ran Mao, arctic gaze growing colder by the second.

This was definitely Itachi.

Lau continued to ramble, mask of idiocy in full affect until suddenly the child cut him off.

"Lau."

"Yes?"

"Twice you have made the mistake of treating me as a child rather than a threat. Twice you have brought assassins to hide in your shadow, in case the opportunity arises." His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. "Make it a third time and you will not live to regret it."

The opium dealer stiffened, mask of pleasantry falling as he opened his eyes to stare at the boy.

"It that a threat?"

Ciel hummed and turned. "I don't make threats. Do be polite and invite your guests inside."

 **TBC...**


End file.
